Find the latest events and features on the work of the UNODC against transnational organized crime here:
Twenty-Five Years of the UNTOC: States Reaffirm Global Unity Against Organized Crime
Vienna, 11 November 2025 – To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) hosted a high-level event aiming to celebrate successful efforts, honor lives lost, and look forward to future international cooperation against organized crime.
Vienna (Austria), 13 October 2025 – The 2025 Constructive Dialogue on the Smuggling of Migrants, which took place this week, brought together representatives of governments, non-governmental organizations, academia, and the private sector to exchange common challenges and promising practices undertaken in response to this complex crime, which is often interlinked with abuse of people on the move.
Vienna (Austria), 8 October 2025 – Marking 25 years since the adoption of the Trafficking in Persons Protocol and of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), this year’s Constructive Dialogue on Trafficking in Persons provided an opportunity to reflect on progress and address new challenges in tackling human trafficking.
2025 Repetition of the Drawing of Lots for the UNTOC Review Mechanism Completed
A repetition of the drawing of lots for the UNTOC and Protocols’ Review Process took place in June in Vienna. The process, provided for in the procedures and rules for the Mechanism, enables the selection of new reviewing States Parties for the country reviews, upon request.
Engines of the Review Process: The Review Mechanism Country Focal Points
The Mechanism was designed to foster concrete cooperation between countries, identify technical assistance needs, and help promote the exchange of good practices.
At the heart of the country reviews’ process are the Country Focal Points.
As the UNTOC marks 25 years since its adoption, the Joint Constructive Dialogue on Technical Assistance and International Cooperation convened civil society, academia, and private sector actors to reflect on the Convention’s evolving role in countering transnational crime and emphasized that enhanced partnerships are essential to keeping pace with emerging threats.
Firearms trafficking fuels conflict and undermines stability across the globe. Combatting trafficking networks requires coordinated international action, reinforced by strong legal frameworks and effective criminal justice responses, underpinned by the UNTOC and its Firearms Protocol.
UNTOC Review Mechanism Side Event Embodies Core Mission of the 34th Session of the CCPCJ
In the framework of the 34th session of the CCPCJ, the UNTOC Review Mechanism brought together Member States, governmental experts, and stakeholders from across the Asia-Pacific region to highlight rich insights drawn from the country reviews and successful regional and international cooperation.
Strengthening Laws Through International Cooperation: Review Mechanism Good Practices from Thailand
The Review Mechanism process fosters internal coordination and stronger international cooperation, which is crucial in addressing the complex and cross-border nature of transnational organized crime. Read more to hear good practices from the Thailand team.
A Practitioner’s Tale — Interview with Dr. Laura Diorella Islas Limiñana (Mexico)
Vienna, 8 January 2025. We recently spoke to Dr. Islas, Professor of International Security Studies at Tec de Monterrey, Senior Fellow at Women in International Security (WISS) sharing her story on becoming an expert on transnational organized crime, and on the relevance of UNODC in her work and research. Read more
Vienna, 25 July 2024. Human trafficking for the removal of organs, child trafficking, assistance measures for smuggled migrants and ways to address the root causes of migrant smuggling: these were some of the key topics discussed at the recent Constructive Dialogues on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants which took place in Vienna respectively on 10 and 15 July. Read more
Vienna, 19 November 2024.Commemorating the first-ever International Day against Transnational Organized Crime, UNODC held a high-level panel to discuss how to pull together to push back against organized crime. Read More
Vienna, 8 November 2024. The UNTOC Review Mechanism played a central role in the 12th Session of the COP, which presented opportunities to advance the Mechanism and enhance international cooperation. Read more
Vienna, 30 July 2024 - On 23-25 July, UNODC hosted the Regional Event for South-Eastern Europe on Organized Crime Strategies and Gender and Human Rights Mainstreaming. Read more
Vienna, 18 July 2024 – At the core of the UNTOC Review Mechanism lies a network of stakeholders engaged in advancing the review process of the Convention and its supplementing Protocols. To leverage the potential of this joint endeavour, the Mechanism’s Secretariat organized the second gathering of UNTOC Review Mechanism Officials in the margins of the Working Group on the Smuggling of Migrants. Read more
Experts in the Pacific Discuss Gender and Human Rights Responsive Organized Crime Strategies
Pacific Harbour, 16 July 2024 – The Pacific region faces significant challenges from organized criminal groups, with globalization, rapid digitalization and intensification of trade and connectivity within and beyond the region contributing to the complexity of the threat landscape. Drug trafficking, cyber-enabled and cyber-dependent crime, financial crime, crimes in the fisheries sector and trafficking in persons all feature prominently in the region, and continue to evolve in terms of new forms and modalities. Read more
Vienna, 5 July 2024 – Crimes that affect the environment, organized fraud and challenges posed by new technological developments are global concerns that stand high on the international agenda. Responses to these issues were discussed at the 2024 Joint Constructive Dialogue on Technical Assistance and International Cooperation which took place in Vienna on 7 June. During a full-day discussion, 112 non-governmental stakeholders, 43 States Parties, a Signatory State and an international organization explored ways to strengthen States’ responses to these challenges and step up global efforts in the broader fight against the various forms of organized crime. Read more
UNTOC Review Mechanism: donor engagement and EU funding discussed in Brussels
Brussels, 5 July 2024. Donor engagement helps strengthen partnerships in the fight against organized crime and requires an exchange of views, progress and needs. To strengthen joint engagement, the UNTOC Review Mechanism was at the centre of discussions in Brussels at a key event organized by the European Commission and bilateral meetings on 24 and 25 June 2024. Read more
Baghdad, 2 July 2024 - Attended by fifteen officials from ten major governmental entities, the first in-person training workshop on the UNTOC Review Mechanism was jointly organized by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior (MOI) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in coordination with the Permanent Mission of Iraq to the United Nations to Vienna. Read more
UNTOC Review Mechanism Officials meet to advance international cooperation against organized crime
Vienna, 13 June 2024 – Marking a step forward in the review process of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto, the first Informal Meeting of UNTOC Review Mechanism Officials, organized by the Secretariat, took place in Vienna on 6 June 2024 in the margins of the 15th meeting of the UNTOC COP Working Group on International Cooperation. Read more
Transforming futures in Nigeria through a Women-led Network against Organized Crime
Vienna (Austria), 12 June 2024. “With education, the world is limitless, and through education, we can rewrite the African narrative for the better.” Victoria Ibiwoye, founder of the One African Child Foundation for Creative Learning, says that while her country of Nigeria provides a lot of opportunities, it is also one with high levels of inequality. Read more
Vienna, 6 June 2024 – On 20-23 May, the UNTOC Review Mechanism Secretariat organized a series of capacity-building sessions to train government officials on the UNTOC Review Mechanism and the use of the REVMOD platform. The training week registered over 270 participants from 95 countries. Read more
31 May 2024, Samarkand (Uzbekistan) - On 22-24 May 2024, UNODC hosted the first ever Regional Multistakeholder Event on Gender and Human Rights Mainstreaming in Preventing and Countering Organized Crime in Central Asia and Southern Caucasus (CASC). Read more
Progress of the UNTOC Review Mechanism discussed at CCPCJ33 event
Vienna (Austria), 29 May 2024. What is the status of the UNTOC Review Mechanism and how to harness its full potential? On 15 May, at CCPCJ side event “Navigating the UNTOC Review Mechanism: A Journey in Four Steps”, Focal Points and Governmental Experts from across the world shared their experiences, insights and lessons learned from the review process. More than 60 participants joined the online event organized by the UNTOC Review Mechanism Secretariat in cooperation with the Permanent Missions of Iraq and Italy to the United Nations in Vienna to discuss the progress of the Mechanism in these first years of its functioning. Read more
Athens (Greece), 19 April 2024 - The Legislative Guide on Combating Crimes in the Fisheries Sector, published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) with technical inputs from FAO1, was officially launched during the 9th Our Ocean Conference (OOC-9), held from 15 to 17 April in Athens, Greece. The guide is one of the tools developed by UNODC under its FishNET project, funded by the Norwegian Development Cooperation Agency (Norad). It is part of a series of legislative guides developed by UNODC to address crimes that affect the environment. In addition to the Legislative Guide on Crimes in the Fisheries Sector, UNODC has published a legislative guide on combating wildlife trafficking (2018), waste trafficking (June 2022), illegal mining and trafficking in metals and minerals (September 2022). Two additional guides, on forest crime and on pollution crime with a dedicated annex on the pollution of the marine environment, are currently in process of being developed. Read more
Vienna (Austria), 18 April 2024. How can States and civil society work together to develop stronger and coordinated responses to the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms? How can States better harmonize their national frameworks and related criminal offences to implement the UN Firearms Protocol more effectively? Representatives from 65 stakeholders including civil society organizations, academia and the private sector as well as delegates from 37 States and 2 international and regional organizations gathered in Vienna on 5 April 2024 to discuss ways for stepping up their cooperation to strengthen the implementation of the UN Firearms Protocol and build stronger and coordinated responses to the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms. Read more
The Women Leaders Advancing Gender and Human Rights Responsive Organized Crime Responses
20 March 2024, Vienna (Austria) - On 11-22 March 2024, governments, civil society organizations and experts from across the world gather for the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women, the UN's largest annual gathering on gender equality and women's empowerment. This year's event focuses on "Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective". Read more
14 March 2024, Bogota (Colombia) - The UNODC Global Programme on Implementing the Organized Crime Convention was in Bogota, Colombia on 27-29 February to host the first ever Regional Multistakeholder Event on Gender and Human Rights Mainstreaming in Preventing and Countering Organized Crime for Latin America and the Caribbean. Read more
Uzbekistan is Developing Its First National Strategy Against Organized Crime
Tashkent (Uzbekistan), 4 March 2024. On February 14-15, 2024, the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia (ROCA) – in collaboration with the Global Programme on Implementing the Organized Crime Convention: from Theory to Practice - convened the second meeting of the Working Group to develop a National Strategy against Organized Crime in Uzbekistan. Read more
Vienna (Austria), 1 March 2024. “Through the establishment of the UNTOC Review Mechanism, the international community renewed its pledge to strengthen the capacity and cooperation to address transnational organized crime,” noted in his opening statement Mr. John Brandolino, Director of UNODC’s Division for Treaty Affairs, during the briefing on the UNTOC Review Mechanism, organized by its Secretariat on 27 February 2024.“As the real owners of the Mechanism, States parties’ active participation ensures that it will make a difference” he further emphasized. Read more
Maputo (Mozambique), 16 February 2024 – Good governance. Justice for all. Future generations united against organized crime. Economic prosperity. Safeguarding fundamental rights. A safer future for their children. Read more
News on human trafficking and migrant smuggling, illicit manufacturing and trafficking in firearms, cybercrime and money laundering are available on the following pages:
